Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Needlework Tuesday - Big Ass Needles!

I worked on a couple of needlework projects this week. First of all, I continued work on my Snowman mitten, a kit from Mary Maxim. It was nothing short of frustrating with at least a dozen small balls of yarn dangling from it, all getting into a terrible tangle. I should have taken a photo of it at its worst, but I didn't. My main goal was to get past those few rows and get to the part where fewer colours were used. Thankfully, I'm there now. There's got to be a better way. Hopefully, my friend YouTube will have a video or two that will offer some helpful hints. I should have checked there first.

The other thing I worked on was my cabled scarf. I thought I might finish it, but I ran into a bit of a snag. The yarn I was using was from a failed project I started many (many, many) years ago. Way back when, I ripped out the project and rolled the yarn into a few balls. Because I tried the project a number of times and I rolled the balls quite tightly, over time the yarn stretched out and lost a lot of its fluffiness. That's all fine and dandy except that to complete this scarf, I needed more yarn than what was in those balls. The additional yarn I needed to use was still in its "virgin" form...loosely wound in a skein. Still nice and fluffy. The difference is a bit noticeable, but not so much that I'm going to give up on it, especially since I have less than 12" to go. It did make me stop and think, though. Next time, I'll have to take better care of the yarn.

Lastly, my new project came from the Mary Maxim's Knit Club of the Month, a bulky, oversized cowl. However, I haven't started it yet because I needed to purchase some new needles. I really wish there was a way for them to send them with the kit. For instance an email saying, "Hey, Marie. Your next project is on the way. We can't tell you what it is, that's a surprise, but you're going to need size 20mm needles. Do you have them? If not, we sell them for $15. Would you like us to include them in your shipment?" How cool would that be? They make an extra sale and I'd have my needles and could start my project right away. Here's shot of the project:

I think I'd prefer it in the brown, but that wasn't my choice. Also, I'm really not happy about having to purchase these big ass needles. Just look at them!!! As a comparison, I put them next to some "regular" 5mm needles:

Knitting with them should be interesting. It's unlikely that I'll make another of these cowls and I'm not sure what else I'd use them for. Even the lady at the yarn store said that they only got the needles in because of this bulky cowl fad. Hopefully, someone someday will come up with another use for them.

That's it for this week.

Needlework Tuesday is hosted by Heather over at Books and Quilts. If you've done any crafting this week, please head over to Heather's blog and use the Mr. Linky to link up your post, so other can enjoy your creations.

1 comment:

I think the largest needles I've used are 9 mm and they felt so big. I don't think I'd like 20 mm ones.The colour for the new cowl is very pretty and classic. I'm surprised by how much I like the cowls I have made. I didn't think I'd use them, but when I do I don't want to take them off.

Thanks so much for your comment. I really appreciate it. Unfortunately, I've been getting lots of spam comments, so I'm turning on word verification to help keep spammers away. I know it's a pain; I don't like it either. Hopefully, in time I'll be able to turn it off again. Thank you!